You’re still on the hunt for the ultimate forever bag aren’t you? I only ask because I totally feel your pain. For years I’ve been on what feels like an eternal quest to find one that works hard: you know, the type that is special enough for you to wear when you’re all pulled together, while also being casual enough that you can rock it on the weekend with jeans and trainers. Then there’s the important matter of it being big enough to fit the essentials without being so big that it starts to feel clunky. And that’s before you even start thinking about whether it has staying power. Not easy, right? No wonder we’re all still looking.
I’ve had bags in the past that I really liked – on the top of my head a paired back black tote from Whistles from a few seasons springs to mind, as does a flashy mini 3.1. Phillip Lim Pashli I got as a gift last year – but none ticks each and every box.
But then something happened last year – I discovered a simple black drawstring bag from a New York-based brand, Mansur Gavriel. It arrived on the scene late 2013 without bells or whistles; no A-list designer behind it; no recognisable logo and with a price tag that’s half of what you would expect to pay for a bag from any of the big labels. If there’s anything flashy about it, it’s the glossy patent interior and that’s where it ends. I love everything about it – the rigid structure, the paired-back but ‘expensive’ feel about it, the timeless quality.
Unsurprisingly I’m not the only one who feels that way. Soon after it launched, there were endless waiting lists at every store that stocked it so naturally, I began to hunt. Net-a-Porter? Sold out. Matches Fashion? Only available in the brown colour.
After launching the full collection on their website last December, 95 per cent of the stock sold out within an hour. Even popular marketplace Lyst found that Mansur Gavriel’s bucket bag was among the site’s top three most-viewed products for the whole of 2014.
Though Mansur Gavriel sounds like it could be the name of an old, established luxury label, it is, in fact, the brainchild of design duo Floriana Gavriel and Rachel Mansur, who, until recently didn’t even have an office. The pair met in 2010 at an XX concert in Los Angeles and wanted to build a brand that offered bags of great quality at prices that won’t break the bank. So don’t expect lining. According to the pair, it’s things like that that quickly make the price spike but that said, in our quest for the ultimate forever bag, theirs comes pretty close. Granted, they’re pretty plain and classic but that’s exactly why they’re fashion’s hottest item right now.